


Evanescence

by Moonlit_Summoner



Category: Final Fantasy X & Final Fantasy X-2, Final Fantasy X -Will-
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-06
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-04-19 04:05:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14228862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonlit_Summoner/pseuds/Moonlit_Summoner
Summary: Shouldered with the burden of Sin's rebirth, Yuna journeys across Spira to discover the truth. But in doing so, she gets more than she bargained for when confronted with chilling truths and dark secrets that would destroy everything and everyone she holds dear. (Follows the audio drama, 'Will'.) Rating subject to change.





	1. Obligations

  It wasn't easy—not at first. And even though there was still a residual sting every time her mind began to wander off the task at hand, she would always force herself back to the present and push another foot forward. This was the sole reason she kept busy constantly; traveling all hours of the night and day by any means necessary, tending to the wounded, standing guard over encampments and even making herself available for strategy meetings held to re-enforce the safety of the civilians.

There was no standing still.

  Even now, whilst the clergy were all but maiming one another, she kept a calm exterior so as not to call her ability into question; she could not falter in the face of chaos, despite her own inner turmoil. Fragments of their heated debate had been caught, and while they simply could not come to agreeable terms, the unintentional vexed expression she displayed did not go unnoticed as Baralai, himself, pointed out amongst the raising voices.

“Was there something you would like to add, Priestess?”

  To this, Yuna simply looked up at the man she had befriended not too long ago. His face worn and brows furrowed, she could only empathize with him for but just a moment before formulating a response he could cling to. Of course, this brought the entire room to a hush, and all eyes fell to her. She reminded herself to blink away the unbroken stare she had held with Baralai, and instead, let her eyes fall to the table all of them stood around; it was the only thing that separated them from each other, and for that, she was eternally grateful.

“I would like to offer my apologizes to the council beforehand,” A shallow breath was taken as she paused, and when she finally lifted her sights to the men around the table, the faintest smile took her lips when she began to speak again. “While I agree that extraordinary measures have been taken to secure the smaller villages in Spira, I fail to understand why it was called into question in the first place. Should support be withdrawn, I fear Spira could be in much more danger than it is now.”

  A few of the men in favor of withdrawing the troops from places like Besaid and Kilika quietly gasped and mumbled their disagreement under their breath, and it was obvious there were a few sideways glances made in her direction. Still, she stood her ground and maintained a neutral expression while furthering her explanation.

“We are meant to protect the people, are we not?” Letting her sights connect with each and every person in room as she spoke. “How can you justify withdrawing the troops and continue seeking support from those that no longer feel safe, simply to protect the walls of Bevelle? It is the core, yes, but the heart of Spira is comprised of ALL the cities and villages—not just one.”

  Every word—every sound and breath had finally been suspended into silence, as they could only look on speechlessly at the woman who gently chided them for acting so selfishly. They simply couldn't argue their way of her more than valid points, and as she wrung her hands together...almost nervously, Yuna finally allowed her shoulders to slacken a fraction of an inch before settling a somber gaze in Baralai's direction. He, too, struck her with surprise, but maintained his best form despite the countless jaws that would litter the floor if they could.

“Should you continue as you are, Spira would surely flood the streets of Bevelle, seeking refugee inside the walls as a last resort.” A loosely curled fist coming to settle just above the center of her chest and the other falling limply to her left side, the Priestess simply lowered her head and spoke just above a whisper. “If that is all the council requires of myself, then I humbly request leave to go, as I have other pressing matters in which I need to attend to.”

  She slowly raised her head just in time to catch the faintest of nods from all members of the council, yet again meeting the stare of Baralai's golden hues at the head of the conference table. An expression was worth a thousand words, and the apologetic, half-hearted smile was all he could offer in return; though, to be sure, the two would speak about it at a later time, and at great lengths. For now, she simply turned on her heel, made her way to the door and exited just as quietly as she came.

  It was clear the second she took a breath that the sun had set not all that long ago. The familiar scent hung in the air—that transition between twilight and dusk, where the stars were lazily awakening in the sun's last faded yawn, and the silvery, outstretched arms of the moon moved to embrace the world in a comforting darkness. For a moment or two, Yuna simply stared up to watch the sky move above her. It was as if she could almost feel the earth turn in tandem with the curious world above her, and as she took another breath, a fun dizziness rippled through her entire being. As it did so, a sweet, innocent...almost child-like chuckle slipped from between curved lips as a had raised to sweep stray pieces of silken hair from her eyes.

“We are so driven these days.” Still smiling lips parted to speak just above a whisper. “Too few of us stop to watch the life around us we are trying to save. If we all just...paused every once in a while...”

  Inwardly, at least, the Priestess couldn't help but to sigh at how the unbridled beauty of Spira escaped the people who were able to witness it, and she was not guiltless. All the churning chaos and baseless rumors pushing her to every corner of the world, in hopes of calming the restlessness of the people who, in her eyes, needed some sort of beacon amidst the coming storms. Until now, she couldn't hope to recall the last time she had just stopped to drink in even the slightest bit of happiness despite the charms and smiles plastered about her face for her friends.

“Praise be to—“

  The voice had cut itself off abruptly, and thankfully so. Not that she would have stopped them before it could be finished, but purely because of the unsettling shiver that mercilessly ran up her spine each time someone spoke of the cursed deity Spira once worshiped. But, more than that, it was the voice, itself, that pierced through her silent reverie in such a way that she was jostled forward ever so slightly.

“—Actually, who do you praise these days, Lady Yuna?”

  That cocky, laid back tone was accompanied by a smirk, no doubt. But even he must have known that saying such a thing, bound with the trappings of such deep seeded sarcasm and disdain, would be so hurtful coming from someone like himself—a friend, and an ally.

“I no longer worship anyone or anything, but I should hope you were made aware of this by now; especially considering how fast word of mouth travels.”

“Course I am. But that doesn't change a thing and you know it.” The man scoffed as he paced from side to side just behind her. “Spira follows your every move. They look up to you. They trust you. Hell...I'd wager they'd even worship you if you'd let them.”

  The sheer, and unadulterated contempt that spilled from his lips made her blood run cold. For quite some time now, she was made acutely aware of how these dark times had changed everyone around her, including those friends she held in the highest of regards. Though she had fought against that notion from the very beginning, Yuna was being forced to face the music now as she turned to get him in her sights.

“Did you come all this way just to mock me, Gippal?” Folding her hands into one another in a calm disposition at her front. “I had thought better of you given our history.”

“And you should know better than anyone, my lady, that history likes to repeat itself.” The Al Bhed chuckled for a moment before offering the outdated Yevonite bow, as if to further insult her. “But to answer your question, no, I didn't. I was dragged out here against my will. I would call it happenstance...but we both know, at some point, you'd be here. And here you are.”

“I'm here on Lulu's behalf. She's been busy as of late, and it was—“

“Baralai called you in to babysit the toddlers.” Rudely cutting her off and placing both hands on his hips as if to challenge her explanation further. “Lulu might be the mayor of Besaid, but you? You are the one the council and the factions run to every time something short circuits. And they do it because you always come running.”

  His words cut deep, leaving her almost winded as the two stood there facing one another. Even for someone as mild mannered as she, biting back the anger she felt or the want to lash back at him was proving to be extremely difficult. Despite her best efforts, she could feel the flaming heat rise in her cheeks as she gave him quite a cross stare. Even still, his arms crossed against his chest and simply let a tense silence settle between them.

  As she took a shallow breath and parted her lips to begin formulating some sort of dignified reply to the ghost of a man she thought she once knew, the door to the councils chamber opened, leaving an exaggerated echo in it's wake as Baralai stepped through to welcome the leader of the Machine Faction. He stopped quite suddenly when he noticed that he had unintentionally intruded on some sort of exchange between both his friends. The warm, welcoming smile he adorned only lasted a fraction of a second, and swiftly moving to a more perplexed expression.

“Gippal,” Sheepishly, and almost clumsily stepping forward, but careful not to get directly between the pair. “We're ready for you now, unless you need a few more minutes with Priestess Yuna?”

“Well that all depends on the lady.” Gippal raised a thumb to swipe at his nose and place one hand on his hip to await her response.

  A vague shake of her head was all she could seem to muster. There were just...no words to express what she felt about the entire ordeal, and even if there were, she certainly was not going to make a spectacle of their confrontation; it felt far too much like a personal attack, so she made a decision to keep it as such, and deal with it at a later time. Blinking a few times and forcing a smile into her lips, she gave both men a quick, but gracious bow and turned to leave them to their own devices for the time being without uttering another word.

* * *

 “But that's great news, right, Yunie?” The bubbling blonde leaped in front of her just as she had turned away and going a step further to bend at her waist so that she couldn't shy her eyes away to mull over the conversation.

  Despite how cute this display would have normally been, Yuna was struggling to maintain her usual carefree facade that would be enough to pacify her cousin in times such as these. And as much as she tried to slyly avoid those swirling emerald eyes, it was very clear that Rikku wasn't going to give up so easily this time.

“Absolutely.” Feigning a gleeful smile as she straightened her shoulders and nodded in return. “It's nice to see you in high spirits; of course, I never doubted that you would ever let yourself be disheartened in the first place.”

“Hah!” Spinning around and raising her hands in the air, Rikku seemed to become overly animated at the very mention of becoming bogged down by the woes of the world. “You've been gone for far too long, Yunie! I thrive on this kinda thing, ya know? Not that...I'm thrilled about what's been going on, but—“

“It's ok, I knew what you were referring to. You've always been so optimistic even in the grimmest of circumstances—the people need that now more than ever.” Watching her Al Bhed cousin twirl in circles around her, laughing and giggling without what seemed a care in the world, she tried with all her might to get lost in the moment alongside her.

  Hands clasped neatly together and resting on the small of her back, the Priestess let the salty breeze gently sway her back and forth and allowed a few small traces of laughter to hiccup past her lips. It was nice to at least try and let herself genuinely enjoy the company of someone who refused to let the world break her stride, but somewhere in the back of her mind, it felt very dishonest.

“You know what you need?” Rikku skidded to a halt and turned to give Yuna her full attention. “A little Gullwing therapy! We'll put that sure fire spark back in you again—you'll see!”

“I..”

“Nope! You're not about to turn me down now!” Shaking her head with a mischievous grin tugging at her lips and a sparkle in those emerald eyes of hers while grasping hastily for Yuna's hand. “C'mon. Paine and I will whip you back into shape in no time! I promise it'll be a lot more fun than running around trying to save Spira all by yourself!”

“Rikku...you know I can't do that.” Her voice offering no signs of being stern in refusing her cousins proposal, but making sure it came forth in an apologetic manner. “Of course I miss being with you and Paine and the rest of the Gullwings, but...it's just not possible.”

“Anything is possible, Yuna! Geeze...” The Al Bhed let out an exasperated sigh as she released the hold on her hand. “After all that we've done, after all that you've been through, how do you not get that by now? How is it that everybody gets that but you?”

“But I do, Rikku—I really, and truly believe that anything is possible!” Her tone had not raised an octave by much, but it was enough to get her Rikku's attention. “Yes. We achieved things in our lives that no one else thought were possible. If you had come to me four years ago—when I first made the decision to become a summoner—and you told me that I would be standing here today...I-I don't think, deep down, that I would have believed it. And yet...here I am.”

  The two stood tucked away from the prying eyes of passerby’s, staring each other down silently as their conversation started to sink in to one another. Luca was by no means quiet, what with all the blitzball season in full swing, but neither of them heard the cheers from the stadium or the random strangers waltzing up and down vendor square to purchase banners for their favored teams. Right now the two women were in their own little impenetrable bubble struggling to see eye to eye.

“I have obligations—“

“To no one except yourself! You're allowed to be a little selfish after what you've done, Yunie!”

“Stop!” Feeling something inside herself crack under all the pressure, the quiet and demure Priestess could not help the solitary tear that found it's way down her cheek as her breaking voice escaped between her quivering lips. “I cannot be selfish anymore, Rikku; my obligations are to the people, not to myself as I once thought them to be. You, Gippal and every one else that has lectured me into the ground...you want me to wash my hands of it, but I can't. And the reason?”

  She paused briefly to take a cleansing breath and straighten herself out. A small hand raised to wipe the salty trail the tear had left behind and then catch another tear threatening to fall before smoothing out the front of her kimono. When finally feeling a bit more composed, her head raised so that her eyes met with Rikku's and fixed her lips into that signature smile of hers.

“I was the last one. The very last summoner to defeat Sin, and I lived. The people look to me, not because they're expecting me to make all their problems disappear, but because we are symbolic of hope in the eyes of despair. I have no right to rob them of that...and I would think that the people who stood by me through it all....would at least understand that if nothing else.”

* * *

  _“Do you ever wish that you could go back? Do things...all over again?”_

_“What kind of a question is that?”_

_“A simple one, really.”_

_“I guess that all depends.”_

_“On?”_

_“How far back you're talking.”_

_“I suppose I didn't think about that.”_

_“But, I guess if I had the choice, I'd say no—I wouldn't go back and change a thing.”_

_“Why?”_

_“You shouldn't have to ask me why. You should just...already know.”_

* * *

   Untouched. It was as if time, itself, had not laid a finger on a single thing since that day. Splintered pieces of wood littered the beach in such a way that she had to navigate through the wreckage very cautiously. Curiously, it was almost as if she could still smell the sulfur lingering in the air the closer she came to what she determined to be the center. The boat—or more accurately, what was left of it—laid on its side, with a single, tattered piece of cloth that once made up an entire sail waving lazily in the wind. And as she cleared the last obstacle, an almost broken sigh was pushed from her nose while pushing pieces of windblown locks from her face.

“I keep coming back here searching for answers.” Turning herself around slowly in circles as she spoke quietly to herself. “When I think of all that's currently happening, my heart keeps calling me back here to this place. But...why?”

  Honest and open to a fault. That had always been her reputation through and through in the public eye. But standing here in this very place and wearing the sand beneath her boots as she continued to spin around and around, nobody could know of the awful things that took place here. Well, almost no one. She had begged and pleaded with such an intense sense of urgency that it was not to be repeated...that the only other person that witnessed it couldn't refuse, and therefore, agreed to a vow of silence.

“This place never leaves me. I see it when I do not wish to—it even haunts my dreams. But the worst part of all...is waking up and not being able to tell myself that it was just a dream....or a nightmare.”

  As she fell silent, Yuna instinctively closed her eyes and became unwillingly frozen in place. Right arm moving almost protectively moving to rest against her stomach, she felt a strong wave of nausea that forced her to her knees. The sheer intensity of the illness alone caused her to become stupefied; clutching handfuls of sand in her fists, the Priestess fought off the retching urges by forcing herself to breathe as calmly as her body would allow.

“O-Once...was a gift...” Feeling her body sinking lower and lower to the sand beneath her and, in each second that passed, she began to curl into herself feverishly. “Twice....a....miracle....”

  What little of this island that she could make had begun blending together in colorless blurs. As if some otherworldly force held her there against her will, she laid helpless among the shipwrecked vessel, left with only the memories of what transpired on that devastating night and very little hope to overcome it. And so it had been each and every time she returned. Anywhere but here she learned to control and overcome, but not this harrowing purgatory.

_“Promise me.”_

_“Hey, third times a charm, right?”_

_“Please?”_

_“I'm fine. See?”_

_“I'm being serious!”_

_“Alright, alright. I...promise I won't say anything.”_

  The voices were so clear and undistorted, almost as if the ones speaking them were right by her ears. So familiar and distinct that she laid along the shore paralyzed with the chilling realization that she had heard the conversation between them before, like a sphere movie she had memorized all the lines to. But the longer those voices carried on, the more she noticed her impaired vision growing, falling faster into a darkened void. A muffled sob spilled forth against the sand in time with a much clearer one, and as those voices began to raise, the words spoken were like those coming from someone submerged under water.

_“Please...”_

_“I promised you, didn't I?”_

“Go away...”

_“Not a soul.”_

_“I'm...begging you...”_

_“No one—“_

_“—Ever has to know.”_

“Let me go....”

...From this torment.

* * *

 “Has no one seen or heard from her?”

“I shoulda gone with her! Didn't I tell ya, Lu?”

  With a light, but precise, wave of her hand, the raven haired black mage managed to silence her husband before his emotions got the best of him. Though she shared some of his concern, Lulu managed to remain frighteningly calm in the presence of the unknown messenger from Bevelle. The three of them stood just at the entrance of Besaid's village, and in a very discreet manner—save for the smoke threatening to emerge from Wakka's ears—they had been informed of Priestess Yuna's rather sudden and unexplained disappearance. An arm resting gently across her midsection and the other coming to cup her chin, the mayor began to further press for anything useful.

“Where was she last seen?”

“I believe there was mention of the Priestess speaking with Gippal and Lord Baralai just before her departure.”

“You believe there was mention?” A very thin, dark eyebrow raising at the mans chosen response. “If you wish to return to Bevelle in one piece, I suggest you start offering up factual information rather than offending me with silly little rumors.”

  A visible streak of sweat ran from under the poor messengers helmet as he gulped from Lulu's piercing glower. Ruby eyes that continued to narrow with each nervous breath he took seemed to be locked on with no signs of letting up, but he bravely acknowledged her ultimatum with as much enthusiasm as he could muster given the circumstances.

“The brief interlude was confirmed by Baralai himself; please forgive my poor phrasing, mayor. The last anyone has seen of the Priestess was when she excused herself, and the men retreated themselves into the councils chambers to continue on with the meeting.”

“In the future it might be wise to lead with concrete and finite evidence.” Letting her arms cross loosely against her chest and shifting elegantly to a more relaxed pose before the men. “If not out of the respect for the persons you are addressing, but for your benefit as well.”

  Wakka winced a little as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, letting his sights drop to his feet that shuffled sheepishly against the ground. There really was no easy way to handle a scolding from his wife, and no one else knew better than he how painful it could feel on the receiving end. While she was right and raised valid points, Wakka couldn't help but to sympathize with the young man that was quick to excuse himself from the pair.

“So, Lu,” Hesitantly following his wife as she turned and quietly made her way toward the temple. “Where do you think Yuna headed off to this time?”

  Silence was the answer he had gotten in return, and that was almost never a good sign with Lulu. It meant one of two things: that she was processing information to formulate an accurate response, or, that she was very cross and plotting the ways to make the person who invoked such feelings, pay. And, when it came to Yuna, it was likely that both scenarios were entirely possible. Which meant he had to somehow defuse the situation.

“I'm not sure, but I'm not the least bit alarmed, either.” Letting her retort smoothly pass through her lips as if nothing were amiss. Ascending the steps to the temple, she could clearly hear the sputtering of her husband as he scrambled to place himself boldly before her. “Yuna is more than capable of taking care of herself, Wakka. Have a little faith, hm?”

“I-I do, ya! But...but what if, you know, something happens, ya? We're her guardians—we're supposed to protect her all the way!”

“Yes, we are her guardians. And, although that is something that will never change, we are now a different kind of guardian—if she needs our support, we will give it. But I know her well enough to know that this is something she'd rather we not involve ourselves in; at least until she asks.”

“But what about Sin?! She was being asked to do things she didn't want to do! They'll pester her into doing the dirty work and then walk all over her like they did before!”

“She will do the right thing. It may not make a lot of sense now, but I choose to believe that when the time is right, we will come to know what it is she's withholding from us.”

“Eh?” Scratching his head while giving off the most obvious of confused expressions. “Whaddya mean, 'withholding'? This isn't the time to be keeping secrets, Lu!”

  A hand coming to her forehead as she lowered her head with a sigh, Lulu simply walked around her husband and continued on toward the temple. Stopping just before the door, her head turned enough to catch Wakka still trying to figure out what had just happened and hid the soft laugh that resulted from the spectacle.

“In many ways, Yuna has grown into a very bright and intelligent woman. But she's still got a lot to learn in the art of deception, however, I must say she's getting a little better—with some of us, at least.”


	2. Lead Astray

“This is _really_ starting to tick me off.”

  The young girl stood, impatiently waiting around just outside the council in Bevelle. Her arms tightly folded across her chest, the tip of her shoe continuously tapped against the ground to emphasize her annoyance at having to make yet _another_ stop around the rapidly deteriorating world they lived in; even if she protested, it seemed like _he_ was the one making all the decisions lately and there was almost nothing she could do about it.

“Seriously,” Letting a slender finger tap against her arm as she looked back at the closed door. “You would think there were more important things we could be doing right now.”

  Another frustrated sigh could be heard quite clearly, letting her arms fall by her sides as she began pacing back and forth. Every other pass she made by the door, her eyes would cut over to see if there were any sign of the men emerging from the room and, when there was none, her gaze lowered back down to watch herself be carried along the same path as before. As much as it got on her nerves, there were other pressing matters weighing heavily on her mind—Kurgum, for one, and wondering what he had been doing since they'd parted ways.

  It just didn't add up as far as she was concerned. But before Chuami could try to make any sense of it, her head snapped up at the sound of the door finally opening after shutting her out for so long. Turning so she could see who was coming out, she brought her hands to her hips when two men stepped out, noticing they were still locked in deep conversation and, apparently, hadn't even noticed she was standing there. Her lips parted and hand raised to draw attention to herself, but before a word or a sound could be made, a pair of azure eyes caught sight of her. The look in them surprised her, and so, she simply stood there in silence.

“I can't imagine why she would keep something like this from you,” Baralai sighed softly, looking over at the man who stood beside him. “I realize the Priestess is very secretive, but it just doesn't make any sense; I would have thought, at the very least, she would mention it to you and the rest of her friends.”

“I dunno,” A hand coming to rub nervously at the back of his neck, the blonde stood, almost uncomfortably, by Baralai and let his hand fall to his side with a small chuckle. “You would _think_ that, but...Yuna has been known to keep secrets from us, too, believe it or not.”

“I see,” Offering the blitzer a rather awkward smile just before catching sight of the young woman standing just a few yards away. “Well, I suppose I should let the two of you get back to your search. If I hear anything at all, you have my word that you will be the first to know.”

“Thanks, Baralai.”

  The two men exchanged a single nod between them, leaving the blonde to start making his way back to his traveling companion. His head lowered slightly, he could only catch her eyes briefly before either looking at his trudging boots or past her and down the rest of the highbridge. From what he'd seen, she was none to pleased and was expecting an explanation as to why they were even there to begin with; he'd been vague on their way here, but now there was no way to avoid the onslaught of questions it seemed she was bursting to ask.

“Oh, Tidus?”

Both Chuami and Tidus turned to see Baralai rushing to catch up. Turning to acknowledge him, they stood and waited to see what else it was he wanted.

“I just wanted to apologize again for not being of much help to you.” Offering an apologetic bow before continuing on. “That, and, I wanted to suggest where you might want to look next.”

Tidus and Chuami exchanged quizzical expressions briefly before turning back to Baralai.

“But...I thought you said you didn't know where Yuna was.” Tidus asked hesitantly as his arms came to fold across his chest.

“I don't—not _exactly_ , anyway. But I might have some information that just might shed some light on her whereabouts.”

  Much to her dismay, the young woman looked up to see a vague glint of hope flash across Tidus' eyes. Though it had, the hollowness still shone through and she found herself growing more impatient by the second. What was his deal, anyway? Sure she knew he had set out to find Yuna, but should they really be running in circles? Sin was practically on Spira's doorstep and the world going to hell in a hand basket!

“Did you ever stop to think that she doesn't want to be found?” She spat out before she had the chance to stop herself, arms akimbo as the two men darted their eyes down to her. “I mean, think about it for a second. If she _wanted_ you to come after her, wouldn't she have _told_ someone where she'd be?”

“I wish it were that simple.” Baralai offered, casually glancing at Tidus and then back to Chuami. “With Sin on the horizon and no answers as to why, there's no way of knowing what lengths she'll go to to ensure the safety of the people.”

“All the more reason to at least _try_ to help—“

“I _have_ to find her.”

  Taken aback by his cutting her off, Chuami couldn't help the incredulous stare she gave him for doing so. It had occurred to her, for some time now, that all of the important people around Spira was up in arms over Yuna's disappearance, but what she couldn't understand was why? What made _her_ so damned special? So she had defeated Sin a few years ago, but the fact still remained that he was back now, and it hadn't made it half-way through their Calm. All this talk about how great Lady Yuna and her guardians had been, and how they had rid Spira of Sin for good, only now to find that it didn't seem like they had priorities at all!

  Baralai could only stand and observe the two in silence. It was quite clear Chuami was against the very notion of finding the Priestess, but when he looked over to Tidus, he was almost at a loss for understanding. The once bright and cheerful man now seemed empty and without direction—not that he'd seen too much of him before, but Baralai could sense the rather subtle changes in him since their first introduction when Yuna had brought him to Bevelle. Still, even now, as Tidus turned from their stares, he knew this was something that would simply not be swept under the rug so carelessly.

“If you'd like, you're more than welcome to come inside to discuss the matter further,” Offering the two an understanding and thoughtful smile despite knowing their attention was elsewhere. “I can't promise that it will lead you to her, but again, it would be better than wandering around aimlessly with no leads to follow.”

  The want to decline his offer was strong, and she would have, had Tidus not cut his eyes to her while nodding to Baralai. Without waiting for anything else to be said, he started back toward the doors they had come from, with the Praetor following closely behind. Staring at their backs, she felt her feet begin moving on their own as her arms fell limply to her sides and an exasperated sigh was pushed from between her lips. Who was she kidding? Of course Tidus was running the show. Of course he would lap up breadcrumbs that would possibly lead to Yuna. But, really, what she couldn't seem to understand was why. After all, she had broken it off between the two, right? Kurgum had done the same, didn't he?

"You don't see me crawling back to his side like a lost puppy.” Mumbling venomously under her breath as she begrudgingly followed the men through the door, noting that she wouldn't be left out of the loop this time.

* * *

 

“ _You've changed.”_

“ _That's nonsense.”_

“ _I'm not the only one that thinks so.”_

“ _You—and whoever else thinks that way—are imagining things. I'm fine.”_

“ _Keep telling yourself that and maybe, one day, you'll believe it.”_

“ _I have to go.”_

“ _To the temple, right?”_

“ _Yes, to the temple.”_

“ _Of course you do; you always do.”_

* * *

 

 

  The blistering sun bore down against her back, worsening by the minute as the salty tide crept in. Her right cheek resting against the wet sand was rough against her otherwise smooth, pale skin, she laid motionless as the ocean's surf gently ebbed back and forth around her frame. Fragments of the wreckage snagged the cloth of her summoners garb, and even bits of seaweed that clung to her body had begun to dry in the sun's merciless wake.

  As if to nudge her, the once gentle lull of the tide pushed further up the beach, cresting onto her lower back and splaying droplets of cool water on her face. The first signs of life could be seen as she squinted faintly; it wasn't enough, however, still laying unconscious as a harder wave forced her further up toward dry land. An arm moved just above her head, and absentmindedly, her fingers weakly dug into a mixture of wet and dry sand beneath her palm.

  After some elemental coaxing, her eyes fluttered open slowly only to be met with a blurred vision. Every muscle in her body ached, and despite the excruciating throb against her temples, Yuna blinked a few times as she attempted to bring herself into a sitting position. Shallow breaths were taken, gritting her teeth together and whimpering quietly, she could start to make out the palm trees that lined the lush forest just beyond the beach. Her heart skipped a beat at the welcoming sight, knowing that she had been under the sun's rays for far too long and that the forest canopy would offer a reprieve from the ungodly heat wave.

“It's not that far,” Gingerly pulling herself from the surf and upright; her knees struggled at her weight, but she stubbornly drug herself toward the safe haven. “I can do this. I _have_ to do this.”

* * *

 

“So...you're not gonna do anything?”

  Lulu knelt down to lay the baby down, cooing softly against his ear before planting a light kiss to his forehead and pulling the blanket further up his tiny body. Hearing an impatient foot tapping against the floor of her hut just behind her, the black mage simply smiled at her son who's eyes were heavy with sleep despite the noise. A hand raising to rock the bassinet in hopes of lulling him to sleep, ruby eyes peered over her shoulder to catch the young woman folding her arms defiantly across her chest.

“What would you have me do, Rikku?” Calmly addressing the Al Bhed while turning her attention back to Vidina, who was quickly succumbing to his nap time ritual. “Run after her? Bring her back to Besaid and keep her under lock and key?”

“Now you're talkin'!” A grin overtaking her lips, the blonde managed two steps before a pale, slender hand raised to stop her in her tracks. “I mean...it's a start, at least, right? We just need to talk some sense into Yunie, and then we can start figuring out this whole Sin thing.”

  With her son now fast asleep, Lulu let her hand fall from the rail and watched as it began to still. Rising quietly and straightening herself out to a more dignified position, she turned to face a rather enthusiastic Rikku, only to shake her head with a simple, solitary chuckle and began to politely 'shoo' her outside the hut she and Wakka shared. Squinting her eyes at the sudden intrusion of the bright sun, Lulu had expected a certain amount of protest from Rikku, but to her surprise, it had been rather hushed for the sake of the sleeping baby, thankfully.

“How can you propose such a thing when we haven't a clue to her whereabouts?”

“It can't be that hard, Lulu. We can do some digging around—Yunie can't go _anywhere_ without being noticed. Someone's bound to have seen here!”

  A hand raising to her forehead, the mayor simply let a sigh escape her lips as she shook her head once more. To others, it must have seemed like she just didn't care, but that wasn't the case at all; she cared more than even she would like to admit, but deep down, she knew there was more going on than the others failed to notice.

“Calmer heads shall prevail.” Finally letting the raised hand drop limply to her side and letting her eyes settle on the Al Bhed. “Have you not learned by now that Yuna will always find a way to go off on her own? As dangerous as it might be, prematurely interfering could possibly do more harm than good.”

  As helpful as Lulu had meant to be, it only served to infuriate Rikku as she defiantly placed her hands on her hips. She had wanted to argue the guardians sage-like advice but, deep down, she knew she couldn't. However, it didn't mean that she couldn't carry on childishly, and it was never more evident when her bottom lip pooched out to form a pout and those angry arms came to cross against her chest once more.

“Fine. I'll just have to find somebody who _will_ listen to reason.”

“If that's what you feel you need to do—“

“I will!”

“It's nice to see some things around here haven't changed.”

  The two women looked around, surprised by the sudden interruption into their conversation. The familiar voice was overwhelmingly refreshing to Rikku, as she perked up instantaneously. Emerald eyes growing wide with excitement, her hand raised to shield her eyes from the blinding sun and search for the direction in which the voice had come from.

“Figured I might find you here pestering Lulu and Wakka,” Stepping through the gates of Besaid village with the red-headed blitzer in tow, her monotone reply held a slight amusement to it as she raised a gloved hand to wave at the two women. “Looks like I was right on the gil.”

“Look what the tide brought in, ya?” Wakka chuckled, jogging to catch up to the warrior and lumping an arm around her shoulders. “Hey, Lu, what's the deal with all the strays we keep picking up?”

“Paine!”

  The silver haired warrior had but a fraction of a second to offer the faintest of smiles before a blur of blonde quaff came whizzing in her direction, and just as quickly as Rikku had started, Paine managed to side-step her advances. She turned to catch the comical sight of her trying to catch her footing and simply shook her head. The times were certainly changing, but if she could count on one thing to remain, it would forever be Rikku and her reactions to just about everything. At least she could somewhat be grateful for that—but only somewhat.

“That wasn't very nice!”

  There was some semblance of laughter had between the three, but it quickly gave way to a few somber stares as a hush swept over them. If they could only go on being carefree for just a little longer, maybe things wouldn't be so bad; it would be almost perfect. Unfortunately for them, blissful ignorance wasn't really something they could afford at the moment—not when they all knew why the others were there in the first place.

“Still no word?” Paine asked, wincing as the words rolled off her tongue, wishing she didn't have to be the one to kill the fun.

“Not a peep. Just rumors at this point, but what else can we do?”

“Go after her maybe? Geeze! Since when has that ever stopped us before?”

  The others just stared on at Rikku, not quite knowing exactly what to say. The argument she made was very valid, and no one could really argue it at all—she left no room for rebuttal, which had rendered the others completely speechless.

“Ugh, fine. You guys can stay here all you want, but I'm going after her.”

* * *

 

“ _So what do you think?”_

“ _About what?”_

“ _Coming back with me.”_

“ _Oh...right.”_

“ _Don't tell me you forgot?”_

“ _Not...exactly. I just don't think—“_

“ _I guess that's a no, then.”_

“ _Don't say it like that.”_

“ _How else am I supposed to say it? You're not coming, right?”_

“ _You know I can't.”_

“ _No, I don't know that. There's nothing stopping you from going with me.”_

“ _I don't have a choice!”_

“ _Actually, no. I take that back. The only thing that's stopping you...is you.”_

* * *

 

“So, explain to me again why I'm following you around?”

“I never said you had to. The minute we got to Luca and—“ He cut himself off as his head hung low and his eyes watched the black rubber tip of his shoe dig into the splintered wood of the ships deck. Even after some time had passed, going back to that moment in time and seeing her up there, it brought on a wave of sickness that was almost crippling. “The second I decided to do this, you came along. I don't know why, but I certainly haven't forced you.”

“Look...I get it. You're worried about her and you made a promise. But what if she truly doesn't want you to know where she is? Haven't you at least thought about that possibility?”

  All he could do was give a dejected sigh with a slight shake of his head. Maybe it truly was too difficult for her to believe, but she hadn't been there from the beginning—she just didn't get what kind of person Yuna was. To her, it seemed like a futile lovers quarrel, but it was far more than that to anyone who truly _knew_ the woman.

“Chuami...she's out there somewhere, and I have to find her. She may not want me to, and she may have done everything in her power to keep me at arms length, but that doesn't mean I can't protect her from a distance.” Expressionless azure eyes rose just high enough to peer over his forearm and into the eyes of the young woman to his right. “This isn't about me trying to win her back; it's....far more complicated than that. This has everything to do with what you want _and_ what I want. And, somewhere in between, saving Spira in the process of all that.”

“Ya know, you guys keep saying that if I knew her, this would all make more sense. But how could I even _hope_ to know, if you keep it some hush-hush little secret?!”

“Maybe if you showed more of an interest, I would. But you're so one-track minded, that anything other than _Sin_ is out of the question.” Shoving off the gnarled, braided ropes of the ship with an aggravated force. Tidus clenched his teeth which could visibly be seen as his jaw tensed under the pressure. “Yes, Sin is a serious threat and Spira needs to be protected. But this whole thing with Yuna?”

  A gloved hand raised to ruffle his golden, unruly locks even more. An almost uneven and deflated sigh pushed through his nose, trying to muster even the slightest hint of a smile or smirk, remembering all the times Yuna had done it before. But no matter how hard he tried, one formed, only to falter a second or two after; a hope to offer some sort of life or hope to the young woman who stood before him. Futile, it seemed, but maybe she would get the picture and the two would be able to make amends.

“I'm not out to stand in your way,” A hand coming to rest upon Chuami's shoulder. “So once we port, you're more than welcome to set out on your own.”

* * *

 

“I know you're here...somewhere.”

  Gathering handfuls of her skirt in her hands, the summoner slipped by bushes, ducked beneath lowered branches of the tress and searched the wilderness with squinted eyes. Every once in a while pieces of her hair or even the intricate earring that laid against her collar bone would get caught on something, or the sound of a twig snapping beneath her boots would cause her to jump, forcing her to quickly look over her shoulder. It was only now that she was beginning to question coming out here alone—knowing what she knew—but, then again, the secrets of this place couldn't be revealed to _anyone_.

“Hello?” Meekly calling out as she continued onward through this mysterious place. “Can you hear me?”

Cautiously, one foot in front of the other, she braved the unknown in the hopes of being answered by what she was looking for. It wasn't until the tip of her right boot caught something raised that she stopped, trying to grasp onto something to maintain an upright position. An unsuccessful attempt as the palms of her hands connected with cold, hard stone. Scrambling back a tiny bit on her hands and knees, she took short, uneven breaths, brushing the hair from her eyes to reveal the object that she'd tripped on.

“T-This is it.” Once it was fully in her sights, propelling herself forward and rushing to clear the dirt and debris from the object in question. “Hello? Please...if you can hear me....give me a sign.”

  Stopping suddenly, she pulled her hair to one side and leaned in closer to the stone. Waiting on baited breath, Yuna could feel her heartbeat ripple through every inch of her body. The anticipation was enough to bring stinging tears to dance upon the rim of her eyes, and after what seemed like an eternity, she slumped over, laying herself on top of the cool and carved stone with silent sobs caught in her throat.

“What do I do?” Whispering against the dampness of the lifeless stone. “I-I'm lost...”

  For the first time in her life, she felt her resolve begin to wain and with it, the last of her energy beginning to drain from her shaking frame. This was the only place she could think of that would give her some direction, only for her to find it void of the life she'd seen once before. Well, if you could call it _life;_ it felt more...ethereal than anything. But it wasn't like anything she'd ever felt back home.

  And just as she was about to let despair fully consume her, all that doubt and sense of dread began to be replaced with the feeling of warmth and comfort. Her trembling shoulders calmed and the silent sobs and gasps of air turned into ones of ease and soothing. Slow fluttering eyelids heavy with fatigue caught glimpses of a dim light pulsing beneath her worn out frame and, though she should have been alarmed, the priestess felt a familiarity coming from it.

“Thank you,” Dry lips creeping into a weak smile as a frail arm reached higher above her head—almost as if to try and cradle the foreign object beneath her. “I need your help.”

* * *

 

“Alright, where to, genius?”

“Tch,” Swirling emerald eyes rolled at the question but didn't deter her from placing coordinates into the computer. “Well, there's no reason to go to Bevelle; she's long gone by now.”

“That doesn't answer my question, Rikku.” Paine simply looked on whilst folding her arms across her chest with an unamused expression upon her face. “There could be a million-and-one places she could be, and all we know is Bevelle isn't one of them.”

“Precisely!” Exclaiming proudly as the Al Bhed pressed the last button on the keypad before turning around in her chair to face the silver-haired woman behind her with a confident smirk. “But how many places could a certain blonde star blitzer be hiding?”

“And what makes you think he knows something we don't?”

“He probably doesn't, but so what?” Dismissing Paine with a shrug and moving past her with a surprising bounce to her step. “If we can find Tidus we can ask him. Even if he doesn't know anything, that's one more person we can recruit. And I can't think of anybody else that wants to find her more...can you?”

  Crimson eyes followed the bouncing, blonde quaff that paced back and forth around the bridge typing things here, twisting knobs there and pushing buttons that made things light up, blink and beep. It was hard to fight the uneasy feeling creeping up, or the knots in her stomach knowing that Yuna was out there somewhere by herself with Sin coming and going as he pleased. There was that, and then there was the guilt she had been carrying around with her since the news broke out that one of her closest friends had up and disappeared—guilt that Rikku couldn't be suffering from because she was the only one that was determined to do something about it.

  So, with a deep breath and letting her arms fall limply to her sides, Paine decided to follow Rikku's lead for once. And once she made the decision to do something about it rather than argue, it was like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders and a smirk crept into her lips. All this time, wandering around missing the adventures they had together with the Gullwings and, though this was a serious matter and a life was on the line, it was much better than sitting around and doing nothing.

“Alright. Let's go find lover boy.”

“That's the spirit! The Gullwings are back in business! Err....sort of.”

* * *

 

“ _Are you absolutely sure?”_

“ _Yes.”_

“ _You know you can always change your mind. People will understand.”_

“ _You should go. I'll be fine here.”_

“ _But what if I won't be?”_

“ _You will be.”_

“ _But what if—“_

“ _You're going to miss your boat.”_

* * *

 

“Still no word, sir?”

“None, I'm afraid. Word has probably reached the others and I have no doubts that the rest will be out looking as well.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?”

  Dark fingers slicked back silvery-white strands of hair as he looked down at the table before him as he let a steady and calm breath fall through his nostrils. Was there anything he could do? The only lead he'd had was given to Tidus, who was sure to be hot on her trail by now...if his assumptions were, indeed, correct. So what could _he_ do?

“Gippal,” Baralai called out to his friend across the room as his head raised to catch his good eye. “Did she say anything to you? Before I interrupted?”

“Nada,” Pulling a long piece of something from between his lips before pushing off the wall with his right foot. “Just a few pleasantries between friends, but nothin' that would point us in any sorta general direction.”

“How odd. Even so, we can't simply sit around and wait for something to happen.”

“So what, then? Full-scale manhunt?”

“Not exactly,” Rising from his seat at the head of the table and folding his hands on the small of his back. Baralai paced for a few seconds, paused, and then turned to face his Al Bhed friend once more. “How badly does the Machine Faction need you back in the desert?”

With a glint in his eye, the blonde smirked and nodded just once. “Not badly enough. But, you _do_ realize she's not gonna like this, right?”

“I'm aware, but I would much rather face her anger than the alternative.”

“I'm on it.”


	3. An Exercise in Futility

  None of it seemed real, she'd decided. All of it—from the very first step she'd taken upon boarding the Celsius, to the way she'd carelessly thrown herself off and into the crystalline waters of Besaid—it came over her like the cresting waves of the ocean, only to fall away as quickly as they had come; a far off dream, perhaps, and harder to grasp the memories each time she'd tried to recall them. Even something as simple as who she is, who she had been, began slipping from her grasp like burning sand through the gaps of fingers. The feeling that had gradually taken root within herself sapped at all of her energy greedily and, she knew somewhere, deep down, that if she didn't flee this place?

The thought, alone, was enough to make her cringe.

  Bleary eyes managed to catch the impossibly bright and broken rays of the sun hanging above the canopy of trees and, when the painful intrusion registered, she weakly brought a hand up to shield herself from it. Gritting her teeth and inhaling, rather sharply, she found even the smallest of movements had become intensely painful; even shifting out of the bright pillar of light forced a grimace to her face and her chest to rise and fall in a rushed manner. Even behind squinted eyelids, away from the light, the discomfort ebbed from head to toe, violently pulsing through her veins—the assault serving but one purpose: proof that, although confused over some things, she was very much alive.

  Determined, she rolled onto her left side and opened her eyes once more. An arm finding its way from beneath her protesting body, she guided her right hand toward a clump of aerial roots and grabbed hold of one. Forehead resting against the porous stone beneath her, she didn't seem to notice how her labored breathing disturbed dirt and leaves trapped deep in the crevices, or that she had ingested a great deal of it—at least, that is, until the debris raked at her throat and lungs, forcing her to cough it back into the air. Choking, she pulled herself toward the roots and, once close enough, forced herself into a sitting position against the humongous trunk of the tree they were attached to. It was then, in her disheveled state, that she wished for nothing more than to be back at home.

Safe. Secure. Far away from this place.

  The back of her hand rising to wipe the screen of sweat from her brow, Yuna looked everywhere and nowhere all at once. The arduous thrumming of her heart registered as her sights settled to the seal that her legs still laid against, choosing to curl them closer to the rest of her body; she didn't want any part of herself coming into anymore contact with the offending relic than it already had. The idea made her skin crawl, closing her eyes and quickly filtering oxygen through her nostrils in an attempt to rid the encroaching nausea and swallowing back the bile that had begun rising in her throat. When she thought it safe, her head fell against the tree trunk gently and let her eyes flutter open slowly, gazing up at the canopy of trees once again.

“I should have known better than to come back here,” Watching each leaf sway carelessly, caught in the quiet wind that wound through the humidity. “But what choice did I have? There was nowhere for any of us to turn and, if not me, then who?”

  Somewhere, in the weakness and strain of her voice, there was an underlying contempt for the nothingness she addressed. Hands reaching down to the earth laying beneath her, she allowed her fingers to dig, clawing against the dirt and pulling it tight against her palms, Yuna could feel the roughness of each rock and grain. Angrily compacting it within her grasp, her head fell forward and swished to look in either direction as the last of the pain began to release its hold over her. This renewed vigor, though graciously welcomed, gave way to something more than simply finding her way from whence she came. Yuna rose unflinchingly, allowing the soil to spill from in between her fingers and began heading back toward the beach.

  The calm and steady strides she made on her journey back contrasted the desperate and rushed steps she remembered taking days before, unaware of just how engrossed she'd allowed herself to become in her own thoughts. It wasn't until she cleared the last hurdle and stepped free from the jungle that the thoughts receded, giving way to the smallest of smiles once she discovered her dinghy—untouched and sail whipping proudly against the seas breeze—allowing a sigh of relief to leave her. It had just occurred to her, in that moment of hope, that she hadn't given a second thought to what would happen should it drift away or be destroyed during a storm; the latter should have frightened her more considering who the wreckage originally belonged to. Her feet willing her forward, Yuna minded the ship wreckage with hardly any effort, though the melancholy sentiment was not lost on her as the corners of her lips fell into a frown.

  Finally reaching the bow of her dinghy, both hands found themselves reaching up on either side to apply as much pressure as she could muster in her state. The tip of her boots began sinking into the shoreline and, as her upper arms started to feel the burn, Yuna could feel the boat start to give way; it was getting harder to pull her boots from the wet sand and the hem of her skirt flirted with the waters surface. Still she pushed on until she could no longer feel the bottom sliding along the sands edge and, instead, the buoyancy of the dinghy rocking gently into the palms of her hands. Careful so as not to capsize it, Yuna slowly pulled herself into the boat and made her way to the makeshift seat at the aft—how foolish she'd been not to bother lowering the anchor when arriving.

  Wasting no time, Yuna grabbed hold of the oars on either side, grateful that she would be rowing windward; the pull the island had on her had worsened the second she began to flee, knowing that there was no time to sit around and ponder or linger amidst the wreckage—foraging for supplies hadn't been entertained, either. In smooth, fluid motions, she steered the boat around and let the current pull her further from the shore with bi-colored eyes settling out to the vastness of the ocean. Letting the thick smell of brine waft against her nose, she struggled to remind herself that the familiarity of it had once been a welcomed memory rather than disgust. And when she dug deeper within the recesses of her mind, Yuna had to work tirelessly to rid herself of the daunting fear that all her memories—everything it seemed—were eluding her.

* * *

  He sat quietly there, staring at the acclivity for an undetermined amount of time. Pensive, he'd moved to lower the hood from atop his head and let the hand fall back into his lap, never letting his sights fall from the place they'd been gazing at. Days had passed—he'd been absolutely certain—bereft of his companion and left to anxiously await their return; it had not been simple, by any means, but he had endured for her sake. Fending off inquiries of the nature of his prolonged visit, Kurgum found himself obliged by the fact that they had come here under the cloak of nightfall so as to not draw attention.

“Excuse me, young sir,” A youthful and tender voice found its way to his ears. “Is there anything I could get you? A meal or, perhaps, a drink?”

  The young woman—an employee for the nearby inn and tavern by the looks of her—forced him to deter his thoughts, rising clumsily from his chair to formally acknowledge her sudden presence. By all accounts she was rather beautiful with her long, dark hair pulled into a single braid down her back. Dark skin and doe-eyes that contrasted well with her yellow and orange uniform fitting nicely around her curved frame; the fact that he even noticed brought a rush of bloom into his cheeks as he gave her a thoughtful bow.

“Um, n-no thanks,” Abashedly greeting the woman and abruptly wishing he had never lowered his hood. “I should probably be retiring soon...”

  His shyness was not lost on the young woman, as she had welcomed many a traveler who had been unaccustomed to traveling alone, offering him a warm and generous smile. Kurgum could only respond in kind as a hand rose to scratch awkwardly at the back of his head, unable to maintain eye contact with her for more than a second or two. In spite of the exchange, the stranger made no attempt to depart from him but, instead, cautiously pressed him further.

“Are you traveling with someone?”

“Ah, well...” He started, pulling his hand back and let it fall to his side. A quick glance back to the spot he'd reluctantly torn his sights away from, he tried to formulate a response that was partially true without outright lying to the kind young woman. “Sort of. I'm actually meeting someone.”

“I see,” Folding her hands neatly together in front of herself with a curt nod. “Does this mystery person have a name? Maybe I can help you keep an eye out.”

“That's very kind, but I wouldn't want to burden you. I'm sure they'll be along in no time.”

“If you're sure,” Her lips curling once more into a thoughtful smile. “If you need anything, just ask for me at the front desk. My name is Rena.”

“Kurgum,” Introducing himself in return.

  Watching as she finally excused herself, it wasn't until she entered the inn and the door closed behind her that he moved to settle himself back into his chair. Releasing a sigh of relief he had otherwise not known he was holding, amber eyes found themselves training back to the space where he and his companion had parted ways a few days past. Resting his elbows on his knees and linking his fingers together, Kurgum allowed his chin to rest on top of them and resumed his watch, vigilantly, praying for a sign. With no instruction as to what he was to do in the time between then and her return, he tormented himself with what he felt he should do in her absence.

None of which were any help to either of them.

  The only option, at this point, would be to do as she had said: wait for her return—no matter how long it took—and tell no one. Even if he wanted to enlist help, who would believe him? Not even he had a clue to where she'd slipped off to in the dead of night. With that in mind, Kurgum decided he would do this for her; he could do this one thing...for Lady Yuna.

* * *

“I smell fear...”

  Dismissing the girlish laughter that ensued, as well as the comment that left her comrade, she let the dangerously sharp edge of her blade slice through the fiend with little effort, watching as it exploded into several pyreflies before their eyes. A slender hand gripping the hilt and letting it rest at her side, cardinal sights settled on her companion who, despite the absent reply, made easy work of her own enemy. Planting the tip of her sword into the ground at her feet, Paine rested her weight on the weapon and turned to address Rikku's allegations.

“What do you mean you 'smell fear'?” Unable to suppress the way her lips pursed at the notion.

“All that time venturing around Spira without the Gullwings,” Rikku smiled innocently, shrugging off the hot stare Paine gave her. “You seem like you're afraid of them now.”

“Afraid? Of fiends?” Affronted by the Al Bhed and her insinuations. “Please. No amount of time away from fighting will ever make me afraid of a battle—much less a simulation of one.”

  The pair stood for a moment or two, but it was Rikku who shook her head with a laugh before removing herself from the place she'd been standing. Paine watched, only following with her eyes and hardly flinching when the arena around them melted around them—an machina induced illusion that gave way to the familiar surroundings of the Celsius once the plug had been pulled. It wasn't until the last of it fell away that she began to trail behind Rikku, following her back up to the bridge in silence, still burying her stare into the blondes bare back.

“Oh come on, Paine,” Emerald eyes rolling at the feel of Paine steadily staring at her. “Relax—it was just a joke.”

  Turning to catch her friend—still fixed on her—a loose fist found its way onto her hip and a finger to her chin. Mildly baffled that Paine still hadn't lightened up by much, Rikku felt it her duty to at least try since Yuna was lost to the winds; she had, after all, been the one to coax a bit of that rare, carefree attitude from the warrior. But with the Gullwings lacking their 'Y', she could see her attempts failing left, right and center, but stubbornly refused to give up.

“Alright, ok,” Both arms falling dramatically to her sides and shoulders slumping in the presence of Paine. “That might have been a tiny insensitive...but don't you think you're overacting a little?”

“Maybe,” Came her monotone reply as her hands crossed against her front. “But only because you need to learn to take things a little more seriously.”

“What's that supposed to mean?!”

“It means that Yuna is missing. Sin is back. Two whole days with no lead on Tidus' whereabouts and we're stuck on this airship killing holographic fiends while Spira falls into disarray.”

“That doesn't mean I'm not taking things seriously,” She rebuked Paine's claims, feeling an anxiousness creep up on her that wasn't previously there. “I need to blow off steam between the searches, sure, but that doesn't mean I care any less, you know!”

  The way Rikku's expression changed, in that moment, shifted the atmosphere so dramatically that Paine couldn't hope to find words that would soothe the situation. She knew why Rikku did what she did and, much to her chagrin, Paine felt ashamed for implying that she was less than concerned for her cousins location than herself. Her lips parted to voice an apology, but before she could give life to one, both women were jolted out of their current states as a pulsing red light overtook the room with an ear shattering alarm sounding right behind it. Rikku was the first to move once the realization hit, turning sharply on her heel and throwing herself into the seat just left of the pilots chair with Paine hot on her heels. Leaning over the blondes shoulder, she watched as the screen flashed 'warning' in big, scarlet letters.

“What's wrong with it?”

“We're getting signals from...all over the place,” The pad of her index finger tapping at all the messages that kept blipping up on the screen, trying to keep up. “Besaid, Kilika, Djose, Bevelle, Luca...geeze, it's like all of Spira is lighting up!”

“Any of them about Yuna?” Paine asked, watching as the notifications stopped, taking the alarm and flashing lights with it.

“No, but—“

“Great...”

“Would you please let me finish?” Rikku peered over her shoulder and narrowed her gaze. Paine simply took a step back, raising her hands defensively while wearing a skeptical expression. “There's no sign of Yuna—from what I can tell—and the other signals are not good. But...I think I might have found something else.”

  Paine stood silent for a moment or two, noting that Rikku's eyes never strayed too far from her own. A brow quirking at the lack of explanation and arms akimbo, she pressed the quirky blonde for further information. “I'm waiting.”

“Tidus.” Was all she offered along with a toothy grin that seemed to spread from ear-to-ear.

“It's about time,” Relief could visibly be seen washing over her in that moment. Paine wasted no time taking her place at the station that used to be occupied by Shinra and prepared for the inevitable take off. “What about the rest of the signals? How would they even know to contact us?”

“Just because you and Yuna stopped traveling doesn't mean the rest of the Gullwings were out of business,” Rikku stated, quite matter-of-factually, before following up with the former of the two questions. “And they're going to have to wait—we might be in over our heads if we don't find the others first.”

* * *

“Lu, behind you!”

  Barely having the chance to catch a glimpse of the enemy before it evaporated into pyreflies, Lulu clutched the moogle doll quite suddenly, feeling Wakka's blitzball whiz by her cheek and hearing the familiar clank of the ornaments in her hair as they whipped together from the wind in his attacks wake. When she finally realized he'd dispatched the last of the fiends and that they were safe, the black mage let out a breath she'd been holding for far too long as her hand reached up to push her bangs back from one eye. Lulu felt the hands of her husband fall around her shoulders and the ball against her foot; wine eyes rose to catch his sights and noted the worry all over his visage.

“Not a moment too soon,” Letting lavender lips creep into a thoughtful smile as they caught their breaths. “I must be losing my touch.”

“We shouldn't even be down here, ya? And, more importantly, what were you thinkin'? Coming down here on your own?”

  His feeble attempt at scolding her was quite amusing, to say the least. A lighthearted chuckle escaped, unintentionally, which only served to fuel his disapproving scowl even more; Lulu countered simply by placing a pale, slender hand against his cheek and watched as his expression softened at the gesture. His reaction wouldn't have differed from her own had the situation been reversed, though they both knew his carried a much softer undertone. In spite of it all, Wakka let his grip on his wife loosen and finally bent down to retrieve the blitzball he'd carelessly let slip away in the aftermath.

“I had to be sure,” Lulu turned, noticing her voice was much more raspy than usual from the barrage of battles thrown her way moments ago. “The priests have been on edge since the last incident. I wanted to see it for myself.”

“Even so, you shouldn't have come down here alone, Lu. I barely made it out last time and, from the looks of it, this is much worse.”

“That's not what concerns me.”

  To this, the two turned at caught each others stare. A meaty hand rising to rub the back of his neck and chestnut eyes shying away, Wakka shuffled his feet against the stone ground for a moment before tucking the ball under one arm and letting the other hand fall to his hips. He knew exactly what his wife was getting at, and though neither one of them wanted to voice it out loud, Wakka knew Lulu was about to.

“Fiends should not be coming from the temple, Wakka. We need to find out why, and there's only one person who has the power to do so.”

“She shouldn't have to, ya? Yuna shouldn't have to be running around fixing everything that goes wrong. Let Baralai and the council take care of things for once...”

“I wish it were that simple. But the truth of the matter is that she is a summoner, where Baralai isn't—we need someone who can commune with the fayth.”

“Then let another summoner take care of it!”

  The slight raise in Wakka's tone forced her to wince lightly. As much as she sympathized with him, there was no roundabout way, thus making the decision that much harder. No one—not even the most skillfully trained 'summoner'--could hope to achieve what theirs had, even if they trained night and day for a year or beyond. And no matter how much it pained or angered them, the irrefutable truth was that it had to be Yuna.

“They'll find her. They'll ask her. And when they do, she'll accept.” Lulu reasoned, cautiously placing a hand to Wakka's turned back. “Don't you think it would be much easier if it were coming from us? That it would...mean more to her?”

  Wakka tensed under Lulu's touch, but after a moment or two, his head fell and he allowed a dejected sigh to be pushed through slightly parted lips. He had wanted to continue fighting in Yuna's corner. He had wanted to protect her and let her do whatever she wanted, but his wife was, indeed, right. The council, the people? They'd flock to her like vultures and plead until she caved. If her friends and family came to her instead, maybe that would be best. Maybe...it wouldn't be as bad.

“Fine. But she won't go alone.”

“You know she won't, even if she wants to. Someone will be there with her.”

* * *

“Here? Of all places?”

  He seemed to let her, almost nasally, response roll off without a care in the world. It'd been a while since he'd been here and, though it'd changed since the very first time, it didn't take long to get his bearings. The docks were filled with the comings and goings of the locals, and though he could hear the light gasps and awes of his arrival, he couldn't put his heart into the usual smile and wave he'd greet his fans with. Scanning the gathering crowd with squinted oceanic eyes, he mumbled and muttered a quick and polite 'excuse me' while trying to navigate through them as gently as possible.

“H-Hey, wait up!”

  It was proving to be a little more difficult for herself, finding it easier just to push and shove past the flock in an attempt to catch up to him. When she did manage to break through, he was already turning around the bend and making his way into the housing district, forcing her to break out into a sprint. The closer she came, the more his current state began showing all over his physique; what little time she had spent with him, she noticed how his shoulders slumped even lower than before and, although he couldn't go from place to place fast enough, he walked as if weighed down by a ball-and-chain. If all this was beginning to take a toll on him physically, then his mental state must have been much, much worse.

“Tidus, would you please just stop for a second?!” Grabbing at his right bicep in an attempt to halt his advancement.

  He'd successfully stopped in his tracks, but never once did he glance down at her, or anywhere. Sights trained straight ahead, seemingly looking past the small patch of wilderness between Kilika docks and the temple, he gave no indication as to what he was feeling; no emotion, just an empty stare. Chuami continued looking up for a moment or two, but when she seen no sign of a change, her fingers untangled themselves from the strips of leather fabric that revealed his tanned skin and crossed her arms at his side. She was unsure of what bothered her more: the fact that he refused to speak, or that he was letting all of this get to him to such a degree that it would suck the life right from him.

“The least you could do is answer me, you know? Otherwise I can't help you and, if I can't do that, then what's the point of trying to do anything?”

  Had it not been for the fleeting wince he gave at her words, Chuami was sure that there had been no change. Thankfully, there was no one in sight to witness the exchange. Her arms fell from their place against her chest and, instead, rested limply at her sides as her eyes chose to lower down to the burning, splintered wood beneath their feet. So here they were, standing tensely in the middle of the Kilika docks, presumably to search for clues on Yuna's whereabouts. The unforgiving brightness of the setting sun bore against them and, just as she was about to lash out once again, Chuami heard the sound of heels meeting the wooden platform just above them.

“My, my, my...” A feminine voice carried along the space between them with a hint of amusement laced in it. “Never expected to see you here...and without the rest of your motley crew? What is the world coming to?”

“Dona,” Finally finding his voice. Though, his stance never shifted in any way, and he seemed to ignore her rather dry humor. “Is she here?”

“If by she you mean, Yuna,” A loose fist finding its way to her hip as she shifted her weight around slowly. “Not that I'm aware of. And, besides, who am I to keep tabs on her? Aren't you her guardian?”

  Chuami could do nothing more than quickly switch her sights between the two. Clearly there was some sort of history there and, from what she could tell, it may or may not have been a happy one. One thing was certain: the way Dona spoke out about Tidus and his guardianship over Yuna must have touched a nerve somewhere. It was only then that he visibly tensed and his jaw clenched while hands formed tight fists at his sides. Could she really blame him, though? The guardians of the old ways always did get defensive if you insulted their ability to serve and protect their summoners. Maybe a little too defensive at times, but that was out of her area of expertise.

“Look, we don't have time to stand here and squabble,” Chuami spoke out, casually taking one step forward as she addressed the woman. “If you have any ideas, speak up and we'll be on our way. Otherwise, we should get going.”

“And...who are you?” Dona inquired, letting a half-cocked grin slide its way into her lips. “I don't ever recall meeting you.”

“Someone who doesn't like having their time wasted, that's who.”

  The former summoner narrowed her eyes and Chuami silently patted herself on the back for forcing her self-assured grin into an ugly scowl. But the victory was short lived. Just as Dona was about to say something in return, all three of them were visibly startled by the deep, yet shrill, voice of a man—a big, burly man—rounding the other side of the bend. Ignoring the two companions, he bounded the stairs two-by-two until he reached Dona and fell to his knees in a heaping mess. At first blush, Chumai thought he looked a bit like a simpleton, and as she glanced over at Tidus, his rolling eyes confirmed as much.

“Dona,” He huffed, looking up at her just as she brought a hand to her forehead and shook it lightly. “The temple....”

“How many times must we discuss this, Bartello? The temples can handle themselves; I refuse to get involved in the political matters.”

“Fiends!” Arms bigger than his own head rose to stretch widely apart. “They're attacking the temple again!”

“What are fiends doing attacking the temple? I thought...that was all taken care of?” Chuami looked over to Tidus, who currently had his attention drawn toward the direction of the problematic area. “What are we going to do? We can't just walk away, we have to help, right?”

“Of course he's going to help,” Another voice rang out, accompanied by two sets of footsteps coming up from behind. “And so are we!”

“Fancy meeting you here, Tidus.” The second unfamiliar voice spoke up, catching the attention of all parties present.

“Who are you?”

“The Gullwings, of course!” Rikku briskly walked past Chuami and came to stand beside Tidus, nudging him in the arm playfully. “I figured it wouldn't be too hard to find you—and just in time, eh?”

  All Tidus could really do is offer what seemed like the faintest of smiles and a short nod of his head. Rikku quirked a brow at his response, but a quick glare and disapproving shake of Paine's head warned to leave well enough alone....for now. They had a job to take care of, and after, the four of them could sort out the details back on the airship. Chuami, confused as ever, simply shrugged her shoulders and sighed, following Tidus' lead as they marched toward the forest and made their way to the temple.

* * *

  By her count, the number of sunrises since setting sail had been three, with two impossibly cold nights that followed—three nights, actually, as the sun had just set and blackness set in overhead. The last drop of fresh water exhausted from the flask and not a scrap of food to be eaten, she sat lazily in the seat and allowed the waves to rock her back and forth gently; the less energy she used, the better. Even though she knew this to be true and resourceful, hunger pains gripped her internally and she felt just how dry her lips were, while her throat was left as parched as the dunes of Home. How stupid had she been for leaving without even trying to forage something? Her only saving grace had been the fair weather she'd experienced thus far, but...how much longer would she be able to endure the elements without nourishment before reaching the mainland?

  Drifting in and out of consciousness, Yuna tried to keep her sights out for even the faintest hint or outline of land off in the distance. When first leaving the island, she had searched and prayed harder than ever before. Then, as the hours passed, she'd resorted to deep meditation in order to stave off the hunger pains, or in an effort to force away the headaches. And now? Now she didn't even have the strength to keep watch; the thought would have scared her more had she the energy to do so. Heavy eyelids fluttered slower, drawing out the intervals between vigilance and the haunting darkness of her subconscious as she and the dinghy floated adrift the eerily calm ocean surface.

_“You can make it, Yuna. Don't give up now.”_

  Barely able to make any sense of her surroundings through half-lidded lashes, her ears strained to make out that voice. Familiar and foreign all the same, she dared not linger on it for too long, knowing that strange things were not as uncommon as they once were; trying to discern friend from foe had proven to be futile, it seemed. Still, a piece of her wanted to find comfort in the evanescent murmur, even if she couldn't quite place who, or what, it was. Perhaps the worst thought of all was not if it had been a threat, but the notion that she wasn't alone as she once thought herself to be.

_“You're closer than you think.”_

  Brows weakly knitting as she struggled to rationalize, a weak arm rose to grab hold of the side of the boat. Slowly, steadily, Yuna reached deep within herself and dug at the last of her strength, pulling herself from a slouch to an upright position. Soft whimpers broke the deafening silence, but she pushed through the pain, clenching her jaw tightly and tried to swallow despite the rawness of her throat. Dull, bi-colored eyes scanned all around the blackness, but to no avail—she was hardly able to make out her hand in the pitch black of the night, much less anything else. Still, her head turned from left to right, and checked in front and behind herself in search of the source. A shaky sigh fell from chapped lips, letting her shoulders slump in defeat as her hand found its way back to her lap just as her head began to fall in defeat.

  The mounting despair threatened to consume her entirely, and it would have, had it not been for the feeling of something falling against her sunburned skin. The sting was brief, giving way to a sudden jolt of awareness once she was able to collect her thoughts; head sharply turning upward, another drop fell against her cheek and caused her to blink suddenly. The velvet sky above that had once been pin-holed with bright, flickering stars was now shielded by billows of smokey gray clouds and, further out, streaks of lightning began dancing behind them. Those welcoming drops of rain fell, one after another, faster and harder until she found herself becoming shrouded in a veil of silvery diamond-like droplets. Instinctively, Yuna's mouth fell open, anxious to receive the cool, fresh nourishment her body craved, drinking it in until it spilled from the corners of her lips.

  Careful not to strangle herself in the midst of the sudden blessing, she leaned her head forward and brought both hands up to rake her fingers through the rain soaked strands of her hair, sleeking it back for a moment before letting it fall into place. Gathering her wits, Yuna stood, albeit shakily, and reached for her leather flask; hastily removing the cap, she held it up to catch the falling water so as not to make the same mistake twice. Even if that voice had told her she didn't have much longer to go, she just couldn't keep going the way she had—Yevon only knew how little time she would have had, had this miracle hadn't occurred. Only when she noticed the water spilling over did she move to bring it to her lips to take a generous sip before securing the rest inside, screwing the lid tightly in place and hold it protectively against her chest, as if cherishing its contents.

  Awash with relief, Yuna continued looking out to sea, feeling renewed and refreshed beyond what she thought possible. Blue and green iris' scanned the vastness, and once settling north, she could vaguely see the outline of a small shore. Squinting through the cascade, she noticed the landmarks of where Kurgum and herself had parted, but not as clearly as she'd hoped. Even still, it was some bit of hope to cling to in the face of the despair that had almost taken over completely. Setting the flask between her thighs to keep it safe, both hands reached out for the oars on either side of the boat and she began to row with all her might, fighting against the rougher tides she'd been accustomed to. Somehow, some way, Yuna was determined to make it back in spite of all the events that had transpired thus far.

* * *

  The force propelled him back several feet and, had it not been for staff in hand, he would have been flung right off the edge of the hieroglyphic platform. Using it to steady himself and skid to a halt, Baralai took a few breaths and looked up at the hoard of fiends that barred him from delving deeper into Bevelle's cloister. At first, there weren't enough of them to pose any notion of a threat, but the further down he went, more and more seemed to spawn out of thin air until it spiraled so far out of control that he couldn't hope to keep up. Just ahead, the sound of snarls and gnashing teeth were accompanied by flapping wings and slimy crawls, making the slowest advancement he'd ever seen in the history of any he'd encountered.

  Swallowing back the fear and bringing a hand up to his forehead, he wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve as amber eyes squinted in their direction. Twirling his staff in his hand and bringing it forward, he couldn't help to wonder: where these fiends attacking...as a unit? Many times they were content enough to selfishly throw themselves at their intended prey with no thought of self preservation, but now, they moved and acted as if protecting one another from being dispatched. The inclination seemed so far fetched that he wondered if it were him that was the problem—fatigued by the relentless onslaught—merely exhausted and making things up.

It just couldn't be a correct assumption.

  But no matter how hard he tried to convince himself that he was wrong, his fears were confirmed within a matter of seconds as he sprinted forward in an attempt to attack one of the flans. Before he could plant his staff deep within its gelatin-like body, one of the floating eyes just above them swooped down to bring itself between himself and the flan. Its wings fiercely broadened to deflect Baralai's attack and, once it had, followed up with one of its own, forcing him to stumble backward. As he tried to find his footing, the sound of magic being cast could be heard; glancing up, he could do nothing but look on as the flan began unleashing a spell in his direction. And, just as he was about to brace for the impact, a whirl of green caught his attention—a skink seized an opportunity to whiz by him, choosing to attack from behind.

  Time all but stopped, creeping forward at a snails pace as his face became eclipsed by the shadow of the skink. He brought his staff forward, taking it into both of his hands to catch the agile lizard mid-air, but it left him vulnerable to the other fiends who had yet to attack. Bracing for the spell of the flan, he forced his eyes to close tightly and bared the weight of the skink through clenched teeth. He waited and waited, but nothing seemed to be happening. Cracking one eye open hesitantly, Baralai could still see the skink atop his staff, hissing and snarling as its tongue shot out fleetingly, only to recoil into its mouth that teemed with venom. Mustering all the strength he had left, he let the staff fall closer to his chest, pulled his legs closer into himself and brought both boots into the underbelly of the skink and used the staff to fling him into the air. However, before he could attack it, the sound of a single shot echoed through the air and, right behind it, the cry of pyreflies just above his person.

“Would it kill you to ask for help once in a while?”

  Clumsily rising to his feet, he searched for the voice, but couldn't find its source. Again, a gunshot rang out except, this time, it wasn't just a single shot—a barrage of bullets rained down from above, falling up and over himself and down on the fiends who had stood just behind. Turning on his heel, he watched as dozens upon dozens of pyreflies broke free from their deformed shells, only to spawn more fiends in their wake. About to take up his staff once more, he thought it best to worry about the welcomed intrusion after these were taken care of. But before he could make a move, Baralai was suddenly blinded by a white light that erupted beneath the second wave of fiends. It only lasted for a second or two before fading away, but before he could rid himself of the annoying spots in his vision, he was knocked to his feet from the rumble of an explosion that took the place of that blinding light—the fiends were sent airborne, but never made it back to their feet as they, too, were dispatched into pyreflies.

“Pitiful.”

  Shaking the disorientation from himself, Baralai, once again, attempted to bring himself to a standing position. Eyes training to where the fiends once were, he waited to see if anymore would take up where the others had left off. Thankfully, after what seemed like an eternity, he allowed himself to take a much needed breath and turned to catch sight of two, very unexpected, but familiar faces. One hobbled along, resting his weight on a cane; he shook his head, but offered the faintest of smiles. The other, however, was that of the Al Bhed man he'd sent out recently in search of the Priestess Yuna. That cocky grin reached his good eye and, even if the other was covered by an eye patch, Baralai knew you could see it reach up and underneath. Bending down to retrieve his staff, he calmly strode up to his friends with a smile of his own and offered them a gracious bow—who knows what would have happened had they not arrived when they had.

“Heard you were having a bit of a fiend problem,” Gippal smirked, placing his gun back in the holster against his hip with a twirl. “Looks like we got here just in time, huh?”

“Once again, I find myself indebted to you both,” Baralai chuckled lightly as his free hand reached up to paw nervously at the back of his neck. “Thank you. I probably wouldn't have made it out of that one alive.”

“You disappoint me, Baralai,” A dark, low chortle escaped from Nooj. He stopped just short of Gippal and looked around the area they currently found themselves in, almost filled with nostalgia. “We've been through much worse for you to fail your captain now, don't you think?”

  The hand nursing his neck fell away to his side and Baralai found himself catching Nooj's looming stare. The sheer irony in his words were profound, and he soon found he could no longer suppress the smile deepening in his lips. The close call had not been lost on him, but admittedly, they had been through and endured much more than herds of fiends. In spite of it all, the ex-Crimson Squad members could always count on each other to pull themselves out of a pinch. With a short and precise nod of his head, Baralai turned his attention to Gippal who, during the exchange, took to pacing back and forth and keeping watch for more attacks.

“And the search?” Pulling the Al Bhed from his meanderings gently. “How is that developing?”

“Nothing new to report. No one has seen or heard from her. Of course, I didn't exactly have time to do much investigating; what with the fiend attacks and all.”

“What's so important that you'd send him off to look for Yuna?” Nooj asked, leaning more into his cane as he watched the other two men. “Other than the obvious, of course.”

“I'm not relying on her to clean up a mess, if that's what you're wondering,” Baralai offered, shrugging as he planted the tip of his staff against the glowing platform beneath them. “Consider it more of a favor to, Tidus, than anything. That being said, I can't help but to think she might be able to tell us why the fiends are back in the temples.”

“You hardly know Tidus,” A brow quirking just over his eye patch. Gippal brought himself closer to his comrades, choosing to lean on one of the metal pieces that lined the floor. “Just admit that you, and the others, are just as clueless as before. Simple enough.”

“No, that's honestly not why I want to find her. Granted...it does ease the minds of the council, but for me, personally, I just want and need to make sure she's safe.”

“Is it even possible for her to wonder around Spira unnoticed?” Nooj questioned more to himself than the others. “Have you tried getting into contact with Paine?”

“That was our first course of action,” Baralai nodded in response. “It seems that our Priestess has managed to slip away from everyone close to her—even from Tidus. With the way Spira is now, and Yuna's long history of trying to solve things on her own, there's no telling what lengths she'll go to, just to ensure the safety of her friends.”

“Or,” Gippal interjected, raising a finger to make his point. “Maybe she's avoiding everyone and hoping Spira will grow a spine. Kinda doubt that, but that's what I would do if I were her.”

  That last bit earned Gippal a cross glare from Baralai, but he stood unaffected by the gesture. The three men stood in silence for a few moments. Staring. Contemplating. Trying to find a solution to the problem at hand to which, ultimately, was none. All they could do was continue searching for the missing woman, but it was going to be much harder now than ever before considering the recent events.

“Well standing around here isn't going to do any good,” Nooj was the first to impede on the silent thoughts of the others. He turned to make his way back to the surface, leaving the room to suffer the lone sounds of his cane against the ground for a few breaths more before speaking again. “We can enlist the help of our underlings—widen the search. I think it's about time we do some good for a change.”

* * *

  The smell of fresh rain hung heavy in the air as he stepped quietly through the threshold and outside of the travel agency. Sleep still grasping at his eyelids, Kurgum slowly made the trek to his spot—the same spot he'd been going to everyday since he and Yuna had parted. He could feel the dew clinging to the hem of his pant legs as he navigated through the tall blades of grass not maintained by the landscapers, and the chill in the air was more prevalent against the dampness that was left behind. A shiver ran up his spine as he settled down on a cool stone he had, somewhat, befriended in his downtime; at first, it seemed crazy to him but, after a while, it eased his mind seeing it habitually throughout the days spent in this place.

  Perching himself comfortably, he pulled a piece of stale bread from the pouch fastened to his belt and began picking little bits off at a time. Nibbling on them, he scanned the sea stretched out before him, hoping to see some sort of sign, but quickly found he was met with none. Kurgum gave of a rather sorrowful sigh and chose to stare down his nose at the bland food in his hands, and carefully explored other avenues, at least in his head. What if something happened to her? What if she got lost? What if she...died?

Shaking his head rid of that last thought, he picked again at the bread.

  Maybe he should have insisted on accompanying her. At least, that way, he wouldn't be wrought with 'what ifs'; he was effectively rendered useless, with no way of knowing, and that was the worst part of all—not knowing, or possibly never knowing what happened to Lady Yuna. Would he be blamed by the whole of Spira? Would Chuami ever speak to him again? All these questions and no answers was beginning to take its toll and threatened to drive him mad.

  In a moment of sheer frustration, he abruptly came to a standing position and walked to the edge of the acclivity. Once there, he chucked the last piece of the bread out toward the sea and watched as a seagull swooped down from a tree and took the bread between its beak. Watching as it flew back to where it had come, something else had been caught out of the corner of his eye: a wisp of cloth blowing from behind one of the many rocks nestled below. Squinting, he tried to get a better look.

  For a brief second, his heart sank when he couldn't manage to make out anything else, until the seen a sight that nearly knocked him right off the cliff. There, in a heaping and disheveled mess, stood his companion. She emerged from behind the dangerous rocks, carefully and, rather clumsily, trying to find her way out of the maze. His heart swelling three times over at the sight of her, Kurgum couldn't seem to start after her fast enough, while trying not to attract unwanted attention from the travelers who'd already begun to rouse. There was no telling what she would be subjected to if they found her in this state—and before he could even hope to find out what happened between their parting.

“Priestess,” Whispering as loudly as he was afforded. “Priestess Yuna, over here!”

  If she didn't know any better, or had her feet not been planted upon actual land, Yuna could have sworn that voice that called out to her was but yet, another, dream. But her head snapped up at her name being whispered, and she seen him scaling down toward her; all the emotions welled up so suddenly at the sight of an ally, that tears threatened to spill hot down her cheeks. Finally. She was back. She was home, back on Spira—the true Spira.

“Kurgum...” Only now aware of how weak and frail her voice had become. “I—I'm so sorry...”

  The gravity of it all came crashing down upon her in one fell swoop; a rush of dizziness consumed the world around her, and she felt herself start to fall. Yuna grasped at the rock her hand had rested against, struggling to hold herself up as much as her body would allow. And just when she began to slip, it was Kurgum who caught her—as young as he was, he still managed to shoulder her weight enough so that she could be lowered safely to the ground. Kurgum grunted at the feel of someone's dead weight against him, and he even struggled with all his might so that she wouldn't injure herself. All the while, Yuna continued to mutter apologies, but he would hear none of it.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Priestess,” Offering her a friendly smile as the gathered his wits and thought about what he needed to do next. “We'll get you back to the inn soon enough so you can rest. You'll be better in no time—you'll see.”

  She could only nod in response. Though she knew time was of the essence, she also knew that trying to push herself too far would not get her any closer to where they needed to go—what they needed to do. Yuna felt him move her just then, very gently, toward one of the larger rocks nearby. She did what she could, offered whatever strength she had, to help make it a little easier, only stopping once she felt the cool surface against her back. It was all she could do to muster a meek 'thank you' to him, to which he simply nodded in return, watching him take a few steps back and crouch down to give her more space.

“We should probably get you fed first,” Finding it in him to take control of the situation where she was unable to. “Once you have the strength to walk on your own, we can head back so you can get a good nights rest. When you feel you can, or if you want, we'll talk about everything later, but not now.”

“Kurgum,” Eyes fluttering slowly and daring to close as fatigue began setting in once more. “We don't...have much time. Once I'm well enough, we need to go.”

  Even now, as he watched her finally succumb to exhaustion, the want to disregard her wishes fell heavy on his heart. It was much the same way he felt about her going off on her own, but seeing her like this? Her limits had been reached, but her resolve propelled her forward, even if her body couldn't go on. It was admirable, and almost...frightening. Seeing this now, first hand, it was no wonder why all of her guardians were so protective and guarding—if they didn't mind her well being, then who? But, what puzzled him more, was all the stories he had heard about her: from the fall of Sin until now. What had happened to that Lady Yuna? The vivaciousness and carefree attitude she once displayed?

  It would remain a mystery for now, he'd decided, coming to stand upright and making his way back to the inn. He'd bring her plenty of food and drink. He'd nurse her back to health and then maybe he'd ask her. Maybe he'd find out what happened in the span of days since she'd left. But, most of all, maybe he'd find out why Sin was back, or why she'd chosen to travel with him and only him, rather than letting her guardians accompany her, instead. As flattered and honored as he was, surely they had more experience than he could ever hope for, right? They...would have been the better choice. But she was firm—scarily, he'd remembered.

  And as he continued to ask himself more questions, it dawned: even now, with her return, there were even more questions than before. Some he had never dreamed of asking, and some he was almost too hesitant to ask for fear of the answers she may or may not give.

“Ah, Sir Kurgum!”

  The familiar voice called out to him, breaking his stride and forcing his thoughts to be scattered along the chilled dawns breeze. Swiftly looking up, Kurgum caught sight of the vibrant young woman he'd met just the other day—Rena. Anxiety crept through his veins, hoping that she hadn't seen where he had emerged from just moments ago, he offered her a nervous smile and wave, praying that it was just a nice, friendly greeting.

“Nice to see you this beautiful morning,” Beaming almost as brightly as the sun daring to peek over the horizons. “Breakfast is just about to be served fresh and hot out of the oven! I'd be more than happy to fix you a plate!”

“Uh, well,” His mind drawing a complete blank as to how he could remove himself from this situation. “Again, that's very kind of you, Rena, but I'm heading over that way myself. I wouldn't want to trouble you—you must get very busy what with the breakfast rush and all.”

“It would be my pleasure!”

  He was sure that he visibly deflated. Again, an admirable display of kindness and overall thoughtfulness. Rena strode over to Kurgum and gave him the quaintest of bows before winking. He blushed at the gesture, but followed close, but not, too, closely behind. Still mulling over a way to get some food to Yuna without being noticed, his eyes lowered to the ground. He faintly acknowledged stepping back through the entrance of the inn and, somehow, managed to get through the crowds of people that were in the midst of coming and going, but it wasn't until the array of smells wafted towards his nose that he looked up. A buffet lined two of the four walls in the kitchen: cactuar shaped pancakes, behemoth sausages, scrambled chocobo eggs and tall, ice-cold glasses of fresh shoopuff milk. The sight, alone, was enough to make his mouth water, let alone the sight and smell of it all.

“Wow,” Muttering partially under his breath. “You guys...really do know how to feed your guests, huh?”

“You bet! It's all complementary, of course!” Rena giggled, stepping aside and gesturing him forward with an extended arm. “Help yourself!”

  He simply nodded his thanks and reluctantly took his place in line behind the rest of the guests, casually glancing back at the kind woman. The clamor began to rise, watching as people came and went freely with their plates packed, others coming back for seconds, or disposing of their dishes entirely. Maybe this would be easier than he thought. If he just piled enough food on and slipped past Rena, it was entirely possible to make it back to Yuna without ever having been noticed. At least...that's the best situation he hoped for. The closer he got to the food, the more he remembered that he had cast the only bit of food he had left out to the seagull earlier. A low growl ensued, realizing then, how hungry he actually was. Maybe...he'd take enough for the both of them. It couldn't hurt. For all the rest of them knew, he was still a growing boy with a ferocious appetite.

  When it was finally his turn, Kurgum took one last look around and noticed that Rena had finally moved on to help the other guests. A sigh of relief push between his lips and he turned back to begin grabbing at the buffet greedily. Two or three of these, five or six of those, two glasses of milk, a scoop and a half of that and stacks of butter and syrup to go along with it. Pushing the plates along the line, he made sure to grab a tray to hold all the stuff together, no longer caring if people stared or whispered about the amount of food he carted out by himself. Carefully minding the rowdy children and, sometimes, rude individuals that threatened to send him clattering to the floor, Kurgum finally cleared the last of the crowd and found himself that much closer to his destination.

  Mentally, he praised himself for being able to execute this entire thing without so much as raising a brow, as well as keeping Lady Yuna's whereabouts under lock and key. He smiled as the acclivity came back into view, keeping the tray with their food perfectly balanced in the palm of his hand until he reached the edge once more. It was then, standing there and peering down, that he realized one small, minute little detail; one that, for all intents and purposes, was probably the most crucial and critical detail of them all. Yes, he had managed to slip in and out without being noticed. He had made it back out here without so much as a hiccup in the plan. But how on Spira...was he going to manage to get all of this...back down to Yuna?

“Well,” Shoulders slumping as he kicked a pebble over the edge and watch it bounce against the rather sharp rocks below. “This just became an exercise in futility.”


End file.
